HTR Product Rating

The middle offering in its three-model ProSub category of affordable subwoofers, the ProSub 800 takes the successful formula of its big brother, the ProSub 1000, and attempts to cram it into a smaller enclosure for an even lower price ($399.00/MSRP). Given Definitive's incredible track record in these endeavors - full of sales, fame, and patents - the ProSub 800 certainly has a lot going for it.

Measuring 10.3125 inches wide by 15.75 inches wide by 12.875 inches high and weighing 26 pounds, the ProSub 800 takes up very little space and feels like it costs much more. The design employs one 8-inch front-firing woofer pressure coupled to one 8-inch down-firing low bass radiator, driven by a 300-watt patented Infinite Power Source MOSFET Power Amplifier. The monocoque cabinet employs unitized construction where all panels are permanently joined together into one solid structure, and is specifically engineered to minimize vibration. The cabinet walls are made from high-density medite fused together by polymer adhesives, and the thick front and rear baffles feature extensive internal bracing.

Like the ProSub 1000, the ProSub 800 offers one set of high-level inputs and outputs on gold-plated, five-way binding posts, and a single low-level input on an RCA jack, intended for a LFE output. On the speaker-level side, the ProSub offers a non-variable 80Hz, 6dB per octave high-pass crossover, and a variable 24dB per octave low-pass crossover, selectable from 40Hz to 150Hz. Your settings will depend on the type of system you have - factors like speaker range, amplifier power, and primary material all will determine how you use the subwoofer.

Small speaker users will want to use the subwoofer to play low bass, while larger speaker users may want to use it only as a mild supplement, although a sub of this small size may not make much of a difference in those settings. Movie and gaming lovers would normally use the processor's LFE output, which can sometimes also be tailored on the processor side to also contain other low bass that the main speakers may not be able to handle. Lots of options, all of which should be explored with the help of your local professional. The fit and finish of the ProSub 800 ranks among the best in its class, and its optional white finish is a nice bonus.

Sound
With movies and games, the ProSub 800 added a lot of punch and thump to small speaker setups. Its small size belied its big sound, and with music material it managed to keep a low profile and only occasionally sounded a bit flabby and out of control. The main area where it came up a bit short was in pure output in the lower registers with more intense material. While its small size and very low price must be taken into consideration here, the ProSub sounded better overall at higher frequencies. At very low bass levels with movie material, it couldn't deliver quite as much impact, even when placed against a wall. However, its shortcomings in these areas result in errors of omission rather than the creation of unpleasant side effects. That's the mark of a good product, and, at this price, creates a very appealing whole.